PF Piston Pieces 8/26/09

"After years of fielding the most stable starting lineup in the NBA, the Pistons approach the coming year with a level of rotation uncertainty they haven’t had since probably the 2002-03 season. That’s when Joe Dumars signed Chauncey Billups, traded for Rip Hamilton and drafted Tayshaun Prince, beginning the transition from the Cliff Robinson-Corliss Williamson-Michael Curry era to the next chapter.

All that starting lineup stability meant most of the off-season tinkering out at 6 Championship Drive was focused on the bench – finding the players who best complemented the starters and picking the right mix of bench players to field in combinations.

This season, what combinations John Kuester uses off the bench are first going to depend on how the frontcourt rotation shakes out. But the biggest component of the bench, by far, is going to be Ben Gordon. Gordon’s going to wind up playing starter’s minutes, 30 or so a game, and he figures to be on the floor to finish games almost every night when it matters. But how Kuester uses his bench is going to revolve around Gordon and how the pieces best fit around him.

Because when Gordon’s in the game, he’s flat-out going to be the offensive focus. So who fits best with Gordon off the bench? How quickly does Kuester go to him? And who comes out when Gordon goes in?

The good news is that Gordon’s scoring versatility, functioning equally well as a 3-point threat, a slasher or a pull-up jump shooter after breaking past the first line of defense, means Kuester can be equally versatile in his combinations to place around Gordon.

Let’s suppose Gordon enters the game about eight minutes into it – probably for Hamilton, with Hamilton then likely coming back in the game at the start of the second quarter or shortly into it at small forward with Tayshaun Prince taking a rest.

So Gordon would be playing shooting guard next to Rodney Stuckey upon entering the game. But when Stuckey is due for a break, say after the first quarter as well, will a backcourt combo of Gordon and Will Bynum be vulnerable defensively because of their size? Maybe. But for a five- or six-minute stretch, largely playing against at least one opposition backup guard, won’t the dynamic ability of both Gordon and Bynum to get to the basket put enough pressure on the defense to make that a win for the Pistons?"

"Families in Benton Harbor got some help Monday from the NBA.The Detroit Pistons organization delivered food and other items to 400 families in the area.

It's part of the Pistons Care telethon and feed the children.Volunteers handed out 25-pound boxes of food and 15-pound boxes of personal care items to every family.

"I think it's a blessing. I think it's very important to have at this moment, a lot of stuff going on at this moment with health care and stuff like that. So, I surely thank God for this, having people that want to do something," says Demario Guidry, who was among those being helped today.

"Sweden’s Jonas Jerebko has already made NBA history and is ready for more.

The 39th pick doesn’t normally receive a lot of attention on draft night.In Sweden, however, Detroit’s selection of forward Jonas Jerebko was big news, and the most devout basketball fans even stayed up until the morning hours (Sweden is several hours ahead of the U.S.) to follow the draft and celebrate with champagne and chose to play their national team ball for Poland and Croatia, respectively.

And although Joakim Noah’s mother is a former Miss Sweden, and Miles Simon was actually born in Stockholm (to an American father and a Norwegian mother), it takes a lot of good will to label them as Swedish NBA players.

The Top 10 Lottery Busts of The Last Decade
Kelly Dwyer - Ball Don't Lie

"OK, we know the first decade of the 21st century doesn't really end until 2011. We think. But we also know there have been 10 full NBA seasons played since the phrase "Y2K" was on all of our lips (1999-2000), and here at Ball Don't Lie we've decided to use this as an offseason excuse to rank some of the best and not-so-brightest of the 10 campaigns in question. The result? Why, top 10 lists!

There have been 10 drafts since the year 2000, including the year 2000. Seriously. Use your fingers. And, because drafting prospects of any regard is an inexact science, teams are bound to run into some bum picks here and there. Here's our list of the top 10 busts of the decade."

8. Rodney White,Detroit Pistons, taken ninth overall in 2001He came with a slightly shinier resume than Kedrick Brown, selected with an Andy Katz stamp of approval by Joe Dumars, who was in his first year as Detroit's personnel chief (after merely working as a consultant the year before). White had skills and an offensive touch, but he never put any work into that game of his. He was sent to Denver before being packaged with Nikoloz Tskitishvili and shipped to the Golden State Warriors for a pick that eventually (after being tossed around by several teams) landed the Philadelphia 76ers the rights to Petteri Koponen. History!

3. Kwame Brown, Washington Wizards, taken first overall in 2001Kwame's the first top pick on this list, which holds quite a bit of weight because a top selection's success or failure will rightfully be measured alongside all that come after him. Every pick. Even the free agents. Luckily for Kwame, the 2001 draft wasn't great shakes in terms of star power, though it was a deep and helpful prospect pool, so his middling NBA career can almost be left to its own merits. And his merits (seven points, 5.6 rebounds in 23 minutes a contest, career) are bloody awful.

1. Darko Milicic, Detroit Pistons, taken second overall in 2003He's the total package. His name eases right into the lame jokes ("you could get yourself another Dar-ko Milicic; you know what I mean? This guy knows what I'm talking about!"), he's been an underachieving flameout, he only rose to prominence by taking advantage of well-sourced but not entirely basketball-savvy (at least, then) hoops scribes who were smitten by his ability to spin and dunk in an empty gym, and he was taken ahead of franchise types like Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh. Darko is, quite easily, the biggest lottery bust of the decade."

The biggest offseason decision they have significantly done would definitely not extending Iverson’s contract and getting Ben Gordon in return. I don’t have anything against AI but I think being with him limits the growth of his fellow teammates. He doesn’t want to be off the bench, he doesn’t like to practice and he puts a team in limbo. They will be having a new coach this season John Kuester and will have Big Ben Wallace back in the Piston’s uniform. Austin Daye would definitely one of the draft’s steal with his height and agility his lanky frame similarly looks like Tayshaun Prince. The Pistons are still a rebuilding team but I won’t be surprise to see them in the playoffs."

"After years of fielding the most stable starting lineup in the NBA, the Pistons approach the coming year with a level of rotation uncertainty they haven’t had since probably the 2002-03 season. That’s when Joe Dumars signed Chauncey Billups, traded for Rip Hamilton and drafted Tayshaun Prince, beginning the transition from the Cliff Robinson-Corliss Williamson-Michael Curry era to the next chapter.

All that starting lineup stability meant most of the off-season tinkering out at 6 Championship Drive was focused on the bench – finding the players who best complemented the starters and picking the right mix of bench players to field in combinations.

Click to expand...

Another winner.

This is why it it so tough to write the Spin essay without sarcasm. It is like The Award Winning Keith Langlois is taunting me.

The Top 10 Lottery Busts of The Last Decade
Kelly Dwyer - Ball Don't Lie

"OK, we know the first decade of the 21st century doesn't really end until 2011. We think. But we also know there have been 10 full NBA seasons played since the phrase "Y2K" was on all of our lips (1999-2000), and here at Ball Don't Lie we've decided to use this as an offseason excuse to rank some of the best and not-so-brightest of the 10 campaigns in question. The result? Why, top 10 lists!

There have been 10 drafts since the year 2000, including the year 2000. Seriously. Use your fingers. And, because drafting prospects of any regard is an inexact science, teams are bound to run into some bum picks here and there. Here's our list of the top 10 busts of the decade."

8. Rodney White,Detroit Pistons, taken ninth overall in 2001He came with a slightly shinier resume than Kedrick Brown, selected with an Andy Katz stamp of approval by Joe Dumars, who was in his first year as Detroit's personnel chief (after merely working as a consultant the year before). White had skills and an offensive touch, but he never put any work into that game of his. He was sent to Denver before being packaged with Nikoloz Tskitishvili and shipped to the Golden State Warriors for a pick that eventually (after being tossed around by several teams) landed the Philadelphia 76ers the rights to Petteri Koponen. History!

3. Kwame Brown, Washington Wizards, taken first overall in 2001Kwame's the first top pick on this list, which holds quite a bit of weight because a top selection's success or failure will rightfully be measured alongside all that come after him. Every pick. Even the free agents. Luckily for Kwame, the 2001 draft wasn't great shakes in terms of star power, though it was a deep and helpful prospect pool, so his middling NBA career can almost be left to its own merits. And his merits (seven points, 5.6 rebounds in 23 minutes a contest, career) are bloody awful.

1. Darko Milicic, Detroit Pistons, taken second overall in 2003He's the total package. His name eases right into the lame jokes ("you could get yourself another Dar-ko Milicic; you know what I mean? This guy knows what I'm talking about!"), he's been an underachieving flameout, he only rose to prominence by taking advantage of well-sourced but not entirely basketball-savvy (at least, then) hoops scribes who were smitten by his ability to spin and dunk in an empty gym, and he was taken ahead of franchise types like Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh. Darko is, quite easily, the biggest lottery bust of the decade."

By Kelly DwyerOK, we know the first decade of the 21st century doesn't really end until 2011. We think. But we also know there have been 10 full NBA seasons played since the phrase "Y2K" was on all of our lips (1999-2000), and here at Ball Don't Lie we've decided to use this as an offseason excuse to rank some of the best and not-so-brightest of the 10 campaigns in question. The result? Why, top 10 lists!
As a result of the collective bargaining agreements that were gathered and signed in 1999 and 2005, you won't be seeing too many seasons like Rex Chapman's 1996-97 turn. Stuck trying to sign with a Suns team in the 1996 offseason that had no cap space and little interest in his services, Chapman inked for the absolute minimum ($267,500) and went on to have a solid season (about 14 points in 28 minutes per game).
Today, with the mid-level exception giving capped-out teams chance after chance, you won't get much of that. You'll still get some bargains, though, and here's our list of the top 10 contracts that went terribly, terribly right. 10. Steve Nash(notes)
The funny thing about Nash's deal, a contract he's currently working under, is how foolish the contract seemed when he first signed it. Five years and $53 million, for a 30-year-old point man? Plus a team option for a sixth year that stretches it to $66 million? It was enough to even drive Mark Cuban away from the negotiating table, and yet Nash has somehow earned every penny in the years since. 9. Gilbert Arenas(notes)
It certainly wasn't the cheapest deal. Arenas had to ink for six years and nearly $64 million in 2003 to dissuade the Golden State Warriors from matching the then-restricted free agent's offer from the Washington Wizards. But it was a gutsy move, and considering that Arenas packed together several seasons averaging well over 25 points per game while leading Washington to its first back-to-back (to back, really) playoff appearances in two decades, the risk paid off. 8. Peja Stojakovic(notes)
The once and future Predrag Stojakovic wasn't exactly MVP material during the course of his contract, but while working under a six-year, $45 million deal Peja was a staunch No. 2 on one of the better teams of his generation. And after the contract expired with Peja then in Indiana , the resulting cap space allowed the Pacers to sign Al Harrington(notes), something the Pacers have always enjoyed. 7. Jason Kidd(notes)
Rookie contracts were so screwy before the NBA established a rookie salary cap, that when Jason Kidd was the primo free agent of the 2003 offseason, few people remembered he was actually finishing up the first contract of his NBA career, signed way back in 1994. So it shouldn't have surprised anyone when Kidd, ahem, kind of went for the money in New Jersey instead of a gimmie ring in San Antonio during the summer of 2003. That original deal was for nine years and around $60 million, a fantastic deal considering what Kidd contributed. 6. Ron Artest(notes)
He may have been a bit wacky, and he may have nearly wasted a year of this contract sitting out a suspension after charging into the stands to brawl with a fan, but you cannot deny that both the Pacers, Kings and Rockets took in excellent contributions from Artest for the low, low price of around six years and $42 million. 5. Manu Ginobili(notes)
Manu provided excellent work while playing under two deals, an initial contract that saw him work for two years and $2.9 million total; and a second that runs for six years and $52 million. The sheen may have come off Ginobili a bit due to his injury-plagued 2008-09, but the fact remains that he is one of the league's most dynamic, game-changing talents. 4. Ben Wallace(notes)
The Orlando Magic didn't even have to sign Wallace to a sign-and-trade deal. They could have signed Grant Hill(notes) outright that summer after renouncing Wallace's rights, but the team decided to do both players a favor in order to add a little more money to Hill's bottom line. As an unexpected result, the Pistons picked up an All-Star center in a trade who was only working under a six-year, $30 million contract. That's right, less than the average salary. Quite the coup. 3. Chauncey Billups(notes)
Billups was a basketball nomad when he signed with the Pistons back in 2002, and while his deal didn't seem too egregious at the time, it did raise some eyebrows as Detroit handed six guaranteed years to a player who would be playing for his sixth team. Billups more than made it work, winning a championship, a Finals MVP award, while making several All-Star teams while playing under a six-year, $35 million contract. 2. Chris Paul(notes)
Does it seem like a cop-out to include players on their rookie deals? Go ahead and think so, but this is what makes the NBA's salary structure so great. No outrageous free agent or rookie contracts that will never full pay out, as in the NFL. And no extracted, Scott Boras-led holdouts, as you get in Major League Baseball. The owners and union collectively bargained a deal that works for both sides; and it does work for the players, as teams can afford more veteran players while the youngsters make a smallish salary. The Hornets were able to take in a few years of All-NBA play from Paul for only three years and just over $10 million. 1. LeBron James(notes)
Same with LeBron James, who contributed MVP-level play for the price of four years and just under $19 million. Easily the best production-for-price that any team has enjoyed over the last decade.

LBJ and CP3 are on rookie contracts and shouldn't count. But with all the knocks on Joe D lately, this is one thing he does very well and I wouldn't be shocked to see CV31 on a future list.

"Allen Iverson twittered again Wednesday, saying the Grizzlies have made him an offer -- and Memphis says it's true.

Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace told ESPN.com Wednesday night that negotiations between the sides have heated up to the point where the Grizzlies have made their first formal offer.

"We're heading into the home stretch before the season, and we have had interest in Allen all summer," Wallace said. "We've been in touch on a fairly consistent basis and had dialogue with his agent, Leon Rose, since the beginning of free agency."

Iverson is one of the most high profile, unrestricted free agents remaining on the market, and there were reports in recent days that he was leaning hardest toward reuniting with his old coach, Larry Brown, with the Charlotte Bobcats.

But the Bobcats are for sale and are under severe financial constraints, and Iverson's other strongest suitor -- the Miami Heat -- is already more than $3 million into luxury tax territory and has not been willing thus far to make Iverson a substantial financial offer.

Memphis is approximately $3.5 million under the salary cap for the 2009-10 season and thus could easily outbid Charlotte and Miami for the services of the 10-time All-Star, whom Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley sees as a strong gate attraction.

Wallace would not disclose the size of the offer or what kind of a time table he is on."